H.R. 240 Summary

• Establishes a special investigative committee led by the Chair of the House Human Services Committee with 5 total members to investigate the Department of Human Services (DHS) proposed reorganization plan and purchase of service contracts.

• Committee authorized to audit DHS contract spending, evaluate the proposed reorganization plan that would consolidate 50 community eligibility offices into two processing centers in Honolulu and Hilo, and determine if any state or federal laws were violated.

• Committee must evaluate specific concerns including impact on clients in Hawaii's unique geography, risk of wrongly denied or delayed benefits, technology implementation costs, staff training timelines, and potential welfare fraud increases cited by DHS investigators.

• Committee granted full investigative powers including subpoena authority, hearings, and oath administration, with requested limitation to publicly-available information where possible; authorized to operate through 2011 and potentially beyond for monitoring and legislative amendments.

• Committee directed to request federal review from U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services and to receive support from State Procurement Office, Legislative Reference Bureau, and Attorney General in analyzing documents and preparing reports due 20 days before 2011 session.